The Netherlands-based organization was rewarded the prize not because of its work in Syria, but because of its abiding values and beliefs. Nobel prize committee chairman Thorbjørn Jagland explained, "It is because of its long-standing efforts to eliminate chemical weapons and that we are now about to reach the goal and do away with a whole category of weapons of mass destruction. That would be a great event in history, if we can achieve that."

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Formed in 1997 to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW has 189 current member states, the newest being Syria. Alongside the United Nations, the Dutch organization has been working in Syria since October 1 and hopes to destroy all chemical weapons by mid-2014. By awarding the peace prize to OPCW, the Nobel committee hopes to send a message to countries that are still withholding chemical weapons.

Other candidates for the prize included Congolese physician Denis Mukwege, who cares for gang-rape victims, and 16-year-old Pakistani activist for girls' education, Malala Yousafzai. OPCW will be awarded the $1.25 million prize at the Nobel ceremony in Oslo on December 10.

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